Cafés

Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots have attracted travellers around the world because of their reputations as the hubs for top writers, like Ernest Hemingway, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre. They used the coffee bars to mingle and draw inspiration from. Thanks to their activities, those buffets have now become tourist attractions.

What are the roles of cafes in the tourism industry?

Cafés play vital roles in three segments within the travel and tourism industry: experiential, destination, and hospitality. This reflects the rapid growth of tourist preferences. Back then, travelling was mostly about arriving at mainstream destinations or the places that had long been known as touristy among tourists.

Examples of these include the Great Wall of China, Niagara Falls in the US, and the Great Pyramid in Egypt. But now, tourists have more options to explore based on their tastes. One of them is going somewhere to have unique experiences via cafés. In the list below, let’s dig deeper into how each of the sectors promotes personalised tour experiences.

Experiential

Some coffee bars deliberately design their places to have added value besides serving great drinks. The values relate to the kinds of connections the shops wish to weave with their visitors. As such, their operators create a list of activities or events to lure the guests to study, experience, and feel something as they return home. Those activities or events are as follows:

• Coffee tourism: Travellers learn about coffee production from farming to roasting.
• Intellectual tourism: Guests attend bookish events or meet with fellow thinkers in cafés. 
• Gastronomic tourism: Tourists learn how to pair coffee with other food types, like desserts.
• Eco-tourism: Environmentally conscious travellers can study how to make coffee with less waste in nature.

Destination

There are many cafés that lure tourists thanks to their amazing and unique designs. These factors are already enough to lure them to come inside and take their pictures using the coffee bars as the background. Moreover, the management of the shops sells souvenirs, like tote bags, mugs, or keychains, which are as aesthetic as their physical designs.

Hospitality

Most accommodations open cafés as part of their hospitality services. Guests can rely on the coffee bars to eat, drink, and just hang out. Usually, they are open for long hours so that all customers can eat based on their preferences. In addition to hotel residents, these coffeehouses welcome anyone hoping to enjoy high-quality coffee or tea here.

Designing skills to boost cafés’ charms as tourist destinations

Architecture and design skills provide various solutions to build distinctive cafés, which speak volumes about what types of guests they wish to attract. Therefore, the term “themed café” is growingly popular. This sort of shop applies a special design to exhibit its unique selling points. Examples of this include minimalist, industrial, One Piece animation coffee bars, and more.

Incorporating a certain design style offers some benefits for the cafés. The first relates to weaving deeper connections with special types of guests. They will usually turn into loyal visitors. The second link to customer comfort is through proper seating layout, lighting, and, of course, culinary techniques, especially coffee. So, how does designing skill contribute to achieving that? Check the list below!

1. Spatial planning

The field is important because not all cafés occupy large spaces. You will need to draw the right size for each room or section. Make sure that seating and service areas all have equal spaces. The service areas include the counter and kitchen. Good spatial planning will enable the customers to freely move, although the spaces are limited.

2. Material selection

For this aspect, you will be responsible for choosing the proper materials for the interior and exterior sides. The materials must be able to withstand weather conditions and allow for an easier cleaning process. Besides, these components must also support the theme of the place. For a Bohemian coffee bar, for example, you will need to find ethnic ornaments to display its natural and relaxed vibe.

3. Technical drawings and specifications

These drawings for cafés detail all aspects and layouts, including equipment, electrical and plumbing systems, and material specifications. In the field of signage and lighting plans, for instance, the drawings must show the placement and design of signage. Besides, the diagrams tell the placement of lighting fixtures to illuminate the spaces and give a certain ambience.

4. Cost management

Without proper planning, designing cafés can be very costly and ineffective in meeting their goals. Therefore, you will carefully consider the price of each material so that it falls within the budget and has the best quality. Besides, you will have to manage the budget as the project takes place.